The Times obituary: John Bond

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Bond took over at Manchester City in 1980 but later said he regretted leaving the “family atmosphere” of Norwich CityBob Thomas/Getty Images

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John Bond with and Bobby Moore at West Ham’s trainging ground in 1958Offside / Mirrorpix

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Bond as Norwich manager in 1989

Last updated at 12:01AM, September 27 2012

Footballer who played in the free-flowing West Ham United team of the Sixties and went on to become a flamboyant and highly quotable manager and pundit

John Bond was an FA Cup winner as a full back with West Ham United in 1964 and
went on to become a flamboyant manager. Although he never won a major
trophy, he led Norwich City into the first division and to a League Cup
final and took Manchester City to the FA Cup Final in 1981.

At a time when managers were at their most extrovert, Bond held his own among
contemporaries such as Malcolm Allison (obituary, October 16, 2010), his
former West Ham team-mate, and Ron Atkinson. Like those two, he was a
regular and outspoken television pundit.